


The Arrival Of Kurt Hummel

by KurtsAnatomy (TheSwanOfWinterfell)



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gay Sam, M/M, Movie Star Kurt, Tina and Mike and Quinn are a thing, you read that right
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2018-10-04 05:00:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10268822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSwanOfWinterfell/pseuds/KurtsAnatomy
Summary: Kurt Hummel, acclaimed child actor, decides to postpone his budding career and enrol at McKinley High. He soon finds that show business is nothing compared to high school, a place where secrets and betrayals are the norm and will eat Kurt alive if he isn’t careful.





	1. In The Crowd Alone

“Is he really coming _today_?”

“That’s what I heard from Lisa.”

“Yeah, but you know how much Lisa lies. She told me last week that her brother’s best friend was hitting on her!”

“How do you know he’s not?”

“ _Because_ , Lisa is only a five. Even her mom’s hotter than she is.”

“Wow, harsh much?”

Rachel Berry rolled her eyes as she peeled her body from her locker and promptly left the conversation that she was eavesdropping on. She knew that Lisa Montgomery was full of shit most of the time, but she also knew that she would not lie about her favourite actor. That left Rachel wondering if the rumours really _were_ true.

Kurt Hummel was coming to McKinley.

She didn’t know a lot about him other than his filmography which she had skimmed through once she had heard the news. His private life was kept extremely under wraps and Rachel’s research hadn’t churned up anything of great import. It turned out that she recognised him more than she knew she did. His work spoke for itself and he wasn’t one of the usual child stars that breaks their way into the business.

His very first film role came as an extra in a Martin Scorsese movie and, from there, it had only skyrocketed. Rachel made a note to ask him who his agent was for when she decided she was ready to take Hollywood by storm. Whoever it was had been doing one hell of a job with him. It was hard to believe that he was actually only their age. A sophomore in high school and already Oscar nominated. Nobody had expected him to even make it that far for his role in the Terrence Malick movie that Rachel had misplaced the name of. Even his nomination was a shock, despite the fact that he took home the Golden Globe and various other prizes for his mature, beyond his years work on the movie.

It was safe to say that Rachel was beyond excited. She had already devised a plan to recruit him to Glee Club and then the Drama Club. She was glad that he was a boy and wouldn’t be able to take her spot in whatever musical McKinley decided to put on this year. That led to the question as to whether he could actually sing. Even if he couldn’t, Rachel would want him in Glee Club to draw attention to her performances. The press would be there, perhaps even celebrity contacts that he knew.

Long story short, Rachel Berry was completely excited and completely ready for the arrival of Kurt Hummel.

* * *

 

Kurt Hummel sat in his Lincoln Navigator, tapping the steering wheel rapidly with his fingers as he took deep breaths.

There it was. Right in front of him sat the place he was going to be studying for the next three years. He had been schooled by his tutors on the set of his latest movie throughout freshman and had done remarkably well in his testing. Seeing his scores had prompted a real change. He wanted to be in the high school environment. He wanted to be with his peers. And he wanted to move back to his hometown to do it. He had been away from his father for so long now, he barely remembered how he smelt or the sound of his laugh. They Skyped sometimes, but it wasn’t quite the same. Kurt was always overwhelmingly busy with filming or press tours or awards shows.

That being said, he missed the feeling of mundanity. Always being in the spotlight was overbearing a lot of the time and Kurt was relishing the idea of being hidden away, treated relatively like a normal person for a change. He had earned enough money from his movies and awards shows and interviews to sustain himself and help his dad out while he was living there, as well as pay for whatever college he decided to attend. Whether it was drama school or academic study, he didn’t know, but he was sure that he’d find out in due course.

He had been acting professionally since the age of six and had attended elementary school and middle school in California. Freshman year, he had a bigger role in a movie and would not have had the time to attend, though he had managed to sort out arrangements to be taught whilst on the set, luckily for him. Not that he had needed much teaching. As his director had pointed out, he was an academic natural and that meant he could spend more time preparing for shoot days.

Kurt pushed his sunglasses back up his nose until he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror in front of him.

“What a dick,” he muttered, taking them off completely. He blinked, eyes looking less tired these days than they used to back in Los Angeles. He repressed a shudder as he thought of the past few months and how much he had needed the escape. “No. You don’t get to think about that today. Just move on with your life. Here, at McKinley High. Okay.”

Kurt smoothed his hair at the back one last time, making sure his ‘do’ was as in place as he liked it and then sighed.

“You’re ready.”

He opened the car door and stepped out, boots clicking sharply against the pavement. As he closed the door, several heads turned to his direction.

“Here comes the cavalry,” he hummed to himself and mentally prepared himself for what might happen throughout the day.

* * *

 

Sam Evans retrieved his World History book with a sigh, not looking forward to day ahead. His classes were okay, nothing too mind-bending, but Glee Club was going to be a stretch. He knew that everyone was going to be performing today and he hadn’t prepared anything, having been too busy catching up on his Math homework during the weekend to even think about it. Plus he had had to babysit Stacy and Stevie while his parents went to a friend’s wedding. That had taken up a lot of his time.

He had some songs already memorised in his repertoire, but he had already performed them all for Glee Club assignments. He needed something fresh and, given that the assignment was to step out of your comfort zone, there was nothing that he could just do off the cuff.

Shaking his head, Sam decided not to think about it anymore, figuring that he would deal with it when the moment came and not a second before.

When he turned around, the atmosphere had shifted.

It was almost as if somebody was performing a magic trick and he was the only one that wasn’t privy to the mechanics of the sleight of hand. Small gasps erupted throughout the hallway, whispers buzzed around like an army of bees, swarming every student and changing their gaze’s direction.

Sam frowned, leaning over to see what all the fuss was about. Maybe somebody was pregnant again. It sure seemed like the attention that Quinn had gotten during the first stages of her pregnancy. His mind briefly wondered who it could be before he realised that he didn’t actually care. He just wanted to get through the day in one piece.

And then, something collided with his shoulder.

“Shit,” a voice whispered from behind him.

Sam whirled around, taken aback when he saw a boy only a few inches shorter than himself wincing and awkwardly rubbing his arm. “Surely that couldn’t have hurt,” he chuckled.

The boy seemed to recover and smiled, almost reluctantly as though he was scared to. “You’re right, it didn’t. I just didn’t see you there. Sorry, it’s my fault.”

Sam looked behind his head. “I mean, the wall over there is really interesting, I’m not surprised you couldn’t tear your eyes away from it.”

The boy nodded, grin widening. “Funny. You’re funny. Mind telling me your name?”

“Sam. Evans,” Sam smiled, offering his hand for the casual handshake.

The boy took it warmly, dipping his head. “I’m…uh…Kyle.”

Sam dropped his hand. “Nice to meet you, Kyle.”

Kyle frowned at the crowd. “Do you know why everybody’s standing around there? Is there an event on I don’t know about? This is my first day here and I didn’t know if this was like a daily thing or just…well, a scandal or something.”

Sam shrugged genuinely. “No idea. I’ve been here for a year and this has never happened. I’ve never seen these people so amped up before.” Then he paused. “Wait, you’re new? I can…give you a tour of the school if you like? You don’t seem to have a Peer Mentor yet.”

Kyle shrugged back. “They didn’t give me one. I said that I’d be okay without one. Though I’d rely on my superior navigational skills but then I realised the signposting in this place isn’t exactly clear.”

Sam chuckled. “I transferred in the middle of last year so I know the feeling. Well, I can be your unofficial tour guide slash spirit guide slash peer mentor until you get settled.”

“How about a friend?”

Sam nodded kindly. “I can do that, too. It gets pretty lonely around here otherwise.”

Kyle’s lips tightened. “Do you mind if we stop at the bathroom for a quick second? I just need to freshen up.”

Sam finally appraised Kyle as a whole. He was dressed smartly, but not too extravagantly and his hair was perfectly styled, as though every single strand was exactly how he wanted it. He had a watch wrapped around his wrist that looked more expensive than Sam’s entire house. And his dad had a really good job.

“Uh, yeah sure. It’s actually just this door here, funnily enough. It’s convenient because my locker is right here.”

Kyle glanced back quickly at the door and slipped through it without another word.

“Hey, wait!” Sam followed him.

Kyle was stood at the sinks, looking around the deserted bathroom and then at himself, breathing heavily.

“Are you okay?”

Kyle nodded. “Yeah. I’m just fine. Thanks.”

“You don’t have to pretend with me, Kurt. I mean…Kyle.”

Kurt Hummel stared at Sam Evans in shock. “Wait, you know who I am? It seemed like…”

“I didn’t want you to think that I was just another crazy fan. When you said your name was Kyle, I just went with it. Figured today might be hard for you as it is.”

Kurt smiled, touched. “Well, I really appreciate that. It was a stupid idea, though. It seems that just about everyone knows that I’m here.”

“I knew that you were coming, I just didn’t realise it’d be today. It was hard to not tell you that I knew who you were, though.”

“Why?”

“I’m…kinda a huge fan, but don’t let that drive you away. I can be cool about it.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow. “I can see that. That’s sweet of you. Honestly, I’m just here to try and have a semi-normal experience. When I saw the crowds, I kinda freaked.”

“Take all the time you need. You have a free period now, right? New students usually have their first block free to acquaint themselves.”

Kurt nodded. “Yeah.”

“I’m in study hall. We can hide out in here until classes start and everyone disperses, if you like,” Sam offered, not really able to believe that he was being so calm about meeting and talking to Kurt Hummel.

The amount of times that Sam had tuned into a movie awards show just to see Kurt Hummel on the red carpet would embarrass both of them. He watched the Oscars purely to see Kurt hopeful win his category. He hadn’t and Sam had been devastated, even though the nominee stood and clapped vigorously for the winner. It wasn’t a fanboy obsession, he just really liked Kurt’s acting and his screen presence was something to be admired considering his age.

“I’d like,” Kurt replied gratefully. “Thank you, Sam Evans. Thank you for being probably the only genuine friend I make today.”

Sam hummed in agreement. “I’ll put it bluntly. People are going to try to use you for their own personal gain. I’ll say this: when the race for Prom Queen comes around, do not get involved. They’ll try to make you run with them for the votes.”

“I’m a sophomore,” Kurt said, the phrase sounding strange in his head.

Sam shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. The juniors and seniors and going to look to you for their crowns. Don’t worry though, I’ll make sure you know exactly how to deal with them.”

Kurt jumped up onto the sinks and swung his legs back and forth, smiling.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he answered. “Just…the feeling of being a real high school. It’s weird. I’ve been on sets of high schools, but never an actual school. It’s an experience.”

“Oh yeah, _Innocence._ I remember that one.”

Kurt raised an eyebrows. “That was an art house film. Four people including myself saw that movie. Just how big of a fan _are_ you, Sam?”

Sam’s eyes widened awkwardly. “I just really like your movies.”

Kurt appraised the blond with a smirk and wink.

“Uh huh.”


	2. Allies And Potential Hostiles

“You _cannot_ be telling me that you actually liked that one!” Kurt crowed, tipping his head back as he laughed.

Sam was sat, leaning on a raised knee, on the sink space. “It’s true! I mean, okay, the plot wasn’t fantastic, but the acting was good and the cinematography was really nice.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Okay, so you’re saying I was good and it was nicely shot, that doesn’t make a good movie, Sam.”

“It got a screenplay nomination!”

Kurt smirked. “Yeah, at a national guild…that’s known for giving random nominations. Trust me, nobody was expecting anything major. It made a profit and that was all the studio wanted.”

Sam chuckled. “Must be strange, living your life movie to movie. Script to script. Never really having time to breathe.”

Kurt shrugged, banging his feet together idly. “It’s strange, sure, shaking off one character only to completely immerse myself in another one. But I’m not going to pretend like it’s a chore. It’s the most interesting job there is and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Sam frowned. “But you did. You came here. You won’t be acting for the next three years.”

“Not true,” Kurt retorted. “I can do school plays and the musical. I heard you guys did Cabaret last year?”

Sam smiled. “Yeah. I wasn’t in it, but it went alright. They had to change the director and the lead so it was postponed, but it was a good show. I have no idea what this year’s musical is though. Probably something catered to Rachel’s tastes, knowing Mr. Schuester.”

Kurt stared blankly. “Am I supposed to know these people…?”

“Sorry! Uh…Mr. Schuester is the director of Glee Club and this year’s school musical. He also, for some reason, teaches Spanish class. Do you sing?”

“Me? Sometimes. I don’t know about joining Glee Club, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“I don’t blame you. It’s not the ideal extra-curricular to maintain your rep, but we have some jocks and cheerleaders.”

“You sing?” Kurt’s eyes seemed to brighten, but for only a second. Long enough for Sam to catch, though.

“Yeah. I’m not the best vocalist in there, but I assist with guitar backing and do some duets and stuff. It’s fun. Different than football.”

“I’ll say.”

Sam tapped against the sink. “Have you thought about extra-curricular?”

Kurt nodded slowly. “I considered something academic, like French Club or something, but I also want to do the performing arts stuff. I noticed the Drama Club got disbanded but there’s still a musical? I didn’t realised that was a thing, so I’ll probably do the play and musical this year.”

“Sports?”

Kurt shrugged once more. “Not for me. Well, maybe cheerleading. Though I’m not sure about having all the extra attention drawn to me at pep rallies.”

Sam smiled kindly. “Not to poke holes in your strategy or whatever, but you’re gonna get noticed everywhere you go. Maybe by March people will get used to you as a normal person, but it’s going to be pretty crazy for a while. The last girl had to move and she only _looked_ like Leighton Meester. But, like I said, I’ll teach you the ins and the outs of what to do and what to avoid.”

“Maybe bumping into you wasn’t the worst thing to happen to me so far.”

“It was entirely your pleasure,” Sam rebutted, smirking. “People should be gone by now if you want to get started with our tour?” Sam offered his hand comically. 

Kurt laughed, taking the proffered hand and jumping down from his makeshift seat on the sink. “Yes, Mr. Tour Guide, I’d love to.” 

As Kurt and Sam exited the bathroom, they didn’t get far before…

* * *

 

“KURT HUMMEL!”

Kurt turned to his right as a body almost crashed into him.

Sam rolled his eyes. “Oh god.”

Kurt frowned as the girl in front of him began to speak.

“Kurt Hummel, my name is Rachel Barbra Berry and I’m a sophomore just like you and I’d really love to take today and possibly even this week to brainstorm some possible ideas with you that I think you’ll really be interested in. We can meet at my house or in the auditorium each night because what I have to tell you and show you is of utmost importance and if you don’t hear me out you’ll really missing out on an opportunity that’s going to blow you away. Hi Sam.”

Kurt’s eyes widened. “I don’t know what just happened.”

Sam sighed. “Kurt, this is Rachel Berry, co-captain of the Glee Club.”

Rachel frowned angrily. “Sam, I’m not merely just co-captain of the Glee Club! You’re missing out the fact that I am the president of several club and a member of every single society, group, club or union that this school has to offer.”

Kurt put a hand up slowly. “Isn’t there a black student union at this school?”

Rachel beamed. “I’m more of an ally. One of my two gay dads is black.”

Kurt raised his eyebrows, surprised. “Two dads? In Ohio?”

Rachel nodded as Sam rolled his eyes. “It’s a most challenging obstacle. Having two fathers is not generally seen as the norm here at McKinley. As well as my Jewish nose, it’s one of the things that ostracises me here. Though I don’t let that stop me, I’m merely channel it into my singing, dancing and acting, all of which I’ve been doing since the age of one. I have medals and trophies and plaques to commemorate all of my achievements thus far. You’re more than welcome to come over to my house one night after school and look at them!”

Kurt paused. “I don’t know whether I’m being hit on or pitched to.”

Rachel giggled falsely. “Oh, you’re funny! Don’t worry, I know that you’re not interested in women otherwise we’d totally be dating and be the power couple that Finn and Quinn could _never_ be and the rule the school with an iron fist! Also I have a boyfriend, his name is Jesse and you two should meet sometime. As for the pitch, think of this as more of a character introduction. As we traverse our journey through the years of high school, we’ll only become better friends and together we can work on my career into the industry.”

Kurt sighed. “So this _is_ just a business pitch? Let me guess, you want my industry contacts?”

Rachel pretended to be shocked. “Oh, goodness, no! Though if you’re offering them, who am I to decline?” She batted her eyelashes comically.

Kurt turned to Sam. “Can we go? Or will she follow us?”

Sam smirked. “Rachel, I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be in class right now. I remember because you talked at me once for ten minutes about Mrs. Davis’ monotonous roll call system.”

Rachel gritted her teeth. “That’s because it’s ludicrously long and I could shorten her time by fifty percent if she’d just let me.” She turned back to Kurt. “Just one example of how efficient and forward thinking I am.”

“I’m an actor, Rachel, not an inventor. Look, you seem…ambitious. And that’s good! But I just want to have a normal time at high school. Is that too much to ask for?”

Rachel opened her mouth and closed it. “Of course not. Though…an autograph?”

Kurt laughed, sighing. “Sure. Do you have a—.”

By the time Kurt had thought about it, Rachel had brandished a pen and notebook for Kurt to sign. Scribbling his signature, Kurt smiled politely at her.

“Thank you! My dads are going to freak out!”

Rachel scurried away, bursting through the nearby doors.

“That was the most intense thing I’ve ever been a part of. And I’ve shot a suicide scene.”

Sam whistled. “That’s Rachel…she’s the most driven yet irritating person I’ve ever met. Don’t get me wrong, she’s very talented, she just knows it way too much.”

Kurt nodded. “Been there. Is she going to cause problems should I join Glee Club?”

Sam smiled widely. “So you’re thinking about it?”

Kurt pursed his lips. “I might be…”

“Take the day to think about it. There’s a meeting after school, you could audition then if you’ve decided?”

“Sounds good to me. Where shall we see first?”

Sam led Kurt around the school at a good pace, Kurt committing everything to his admittedly superior memory. Sam showed Kurt the interior, telling him the various shortcuts to cross-campus classes before leading him to the exterior. They walked around the courtyard, the coffee cart and the football field before Sam realised people were going to be emerging from their classes at any given moment.

“Where are you now?”

“Bio, where are you?” Kurt asked, hopefully.

“Physics. My worst class. Don’t worry, though, there are some good people in Bio. Look for Santana, she’ll do right by you. She’ll be the one sitting with her feet up in the cheerleading outfit looking mildly unimpressed by the entire world. You can’t miss her. Though she might walk in late…”

Kurt nodded. “Santana…good, okay. If that fails?”

“I suggest Tina. She’s always on time. Gothic look, stripes of dye in her hair, probably wearing some type of beanie.”

“Santana and Tina, thanks, Sam.”

Sam shrugged. “Hey, no problem. The least I can do after you gave me _The Fall Of The Night_.”

Kurt gaped. “You did not…I was nine!”

“You kicked ass, Kurt! I loved the original and you made sure the reboot didn’t suck.”

“I’m glad I can help…”

“Come on, I’ll walk you to class.”

As Kurt and Sam slipped inside the school, they still had some time before classes ended.

“Are people going to talk about this?”

“I’m not following,” Sam frowned back.

“This. You and me. From what I know, people aren’t used to the idea of a gay guy being friends with a straight guy. At least that’s what it’s like in movies.”

Sam opened his mouth to say something, then thought against it. “Uh…no. Well, maybe. But it won’t be bad, you’re too famous. I doubt you’ll get any backlash around here for being gay. If you do, well, I’m sure you can handle it. You took down that reporter last year pretty damn fine all on your own.”

“Do you have a Google alert on me?”

Sam said nothing.

“Oh my god, you do! That’s so cute!”

Sam blushed. As he did, the bell rang. “Shut up and go to class. I’ll meet you out here afterwards, okay?”

Kurt smirked. “Sure. Thank you. See you after.”

Sam waved shortly and walked away, looking back only once.

Kurt leant back against the wall and sighed. “Boy, am _I_ in trouble…”

The door near him opened widely as students rushed out in their multitudes. Kurt turned his face quickly to the wall, whipping out his phone and pretending to text. A shadow appeared next to him.

“Nice save, but I’d know that posture anywhere.”

Kurt’s eyes flickered up, smart enough to not turn around while the footsteps pounded against the floor behind him.

“Good, you know how to evade them. You might make it through the day. Let’s get to the back of the class. That’s where I usually sit anyway. I’m going to put my arm around you now. People will be too busy staring at my ass to even notice you.”

Kurt chuckled. “Good to know.”

The girl nudged him into the classroom and guided him to the back of the class. Looking up, Kurt saw that it was empty. The teacher wasn’t even around yet. The girl pushed him gently into a seat. Kurt turned to her.

“Cheerleading outfit…vaguely displeased expression…am I right in thinking you’re Santana?”

Santana grinned. “Looks like I’m even more famous than you, Hummel. But you’re right. Santana Lopez, the pleasure is entirely yours.”

Kurt blinked, remembering Sam’s similar words. These people were proud of who they were. Kurt liked that. After being around insecure actresses and doubtful directors all the time, it was nice to know that people were going to be confident around him. Confidence instilled confidence, he rather thought.

“Kurt. Obviously you seem to know this.”

“Duh, only a woodland creature wouldn’t know who you are. Look, let’s cut to the chase. You’re rich, famous and hot and I’m a ruthless bitch who wants nothing more than to see people unhappy. We’re going to be best friends so you might as well roll with it.”

“I’ve already had one obsessed fan hit me with information today, I don’t need any more.”

Santana smirked. “From what I can gather, you met Rachel today.”

Kurt chuckled. “The Berry same.”

Santana licked her lips. “Interesting. I hope you tore her apart.”

Kurt shrugged. “I gave her an autograph and asked her to leave.”

“Not bad, DiCaprio, but you have to lot to learn. I noticed Sammy lurking, is he bothering you?”

“Are you my new security guard?”

“You didn’t answer the question.”

Kurt blushed.

“Ah. So that’s how it is. Yep, Sam is _fine_. He’ll do very nicely on your arm. His hair colour and skin tone discordantly complements mine perfectly.”

Kurt leaned back. “You seem to think your place in my life is confirmed. Do I not get a say in this?”

Santana put her feet up on the desk. “Listen, Kurt, I’ve seen your press interviews and I know that’s not the real you. In the spotlight, you’re the biggest wallflower I ever saw. You trashing that pap guy was the real Kurt Hummel and I want to bring him out of his cage.”

Kurt gaped. “Does this entire school have me on Google Alert?”

“They do now,” Santana replied. “Being seen with me will increase your standing higher than you thought possible.”

“Santana…I don’t want more attention. Hollywood is bad enough with that shit. I just want to graduate in one piece.”

“And you will. But these first few weeks are going to be a bloodbath. In order to survive, you’re going to have to trust me. Follow my lead at all times. Whatever Sam tells you to do, you consult me first.”

“Well he told me to look for you, are you saying his advice was misguided?”

“Touché,” Santana smiled. “Looks like Sammy isn’t so clueless after all. But despite what people will tell you, I’m top dog around here. It may look like it’s Quinn Fabray, but I’m pretty much her life coach so whatever she does, I’m pulling the strings.”

“You talk more than Rachel Berry.”

“Zip it, Gosling. All you need to know is that I’m going to exploit you for your celebrity standing. I can get there on the back of my talent and my smoking body. I don’t say this a lot, but I genuinely want to be your friend. I can point you to the people who are going to want the same thing and lead you away from any missteps. All _you_ have to do is learn to trust me.”

“So you’re my life coach now? Excellent, I have a dilemma.”

“What’s that?”

“Joining Glee Club.”

Santana shrugged. “Well, hit me with your pros and cons.”

Kurt smiled, nodding. “Pros: I like to sing and it could give me more opportunities to do it. Cons: I think Rachel might get in my way and, honestly, the less time I have to spend with her the better.”

Santana nodded as people started to file in. The whispers began immediately. “All I’m gonna say is that Rachel Berry is not a big deal. She’s easily manageable, even Sam could take her down. If you genuinely want to join, then do it. Plus, I’m in there.”

“You don’t strike me as the Glee Club type.”

“Oh honey, I’m not anything’s type.”

“A woman after my own heart,” Kurt grinned, clutching at his chest dramatically.

“It’s really him!” Someone whispered.

Santana leaned over. “Sorry, but your life’s about to get a lot more cluttered once people realise you’re here.”

Kurt rubbed his hands together. “Bring it on.”

 


	3. The First Rumour

As a boring Biology class passed, Kurt noticed heads turning every second to stare at him. This wasn’t news, he realised that people would be staring and he expecting the whispering, but the teacher was becoming severely displeased by the distraction. It was clear that she knew about his status but had absolutely no idea who he was. Santana thought the entire thing was hilarious but Kurt was tired of it already. And it had only been one hour. Was he wrong to make the move into normal education? He didn’t think so, considering it was the first day, but the doubt was always going to be there.

As the bell rang, Kurt realised that as soon as the teacher walked out of the door that only one person had moved.

Santana swore under her breath. “Fuck, they’re waiting for you to stand up. Follow my lead.”

Santana stood dramatically and one boy rose from his seat in fright, the silence was so commanding. “Go,” Santana whispered and Kurt grabbed his bag and gripped her hand tightly. They swerved around the back of the classroom and zipped out of the door before anybody could reach them.

Kurt stopped to breathe but Santana tugged on his arm.

“We’re not done yet. We need to lose them completely.”

Kurt nodded and followed her once more as she quickly pulled open a door and threw him inside. She closed the door behind them and sighed.

“This should do for now.”

Kurt grimaced in the darkness, pulling a wet wipe from his shoulder and flinging it onto the floor. “A janitor’s closet? Really? This is your hideaway?”

Santana shrugged. “Sometimes.” She pulled on the light and the room lit up dimly. “Sometimes you’re at school and you just need a break. And an orgasm.”

Kurt gaped. “Wait, so people actually fuck each other at school? So the TV shows weren’t lying.”

Santana smirked. “Oh no. McKinley is _exactly_ like the schools you see on those shitty television dramas. There’s gossip, drama, pregnancies, lies, cheating and now a celebrity student.”

“I feel like I’m on _Gossip Girl_.”

“Yeah well, wake up Miss van der Woodsen, we’ve got planning to do.”

“I hope it’s a way to get the used condom out of here without opening the door.”

“That’s _still_ there? Puckerman used that in January last school year…”

“And you still come in here?”

“Not this one. There’s one across campus that Britt and I like to go at it in. Feels more homely.”

“Britt? As in Brittany? A girl.”

“Yep, I’m gay, man. Took me a while to figure it out, but it was pretty obvious. Guys were fun but I was never really into it. Scissoring with Brittany is enough to make someone realise who they really are. You either fucking love it or you never want to see a girl naked ever again, although the latter’s never happened before.”

“I’m sure Brittany’s great, but I don’t think I’ll be doing that.”

“You better not start hitting on my girlfriend. Famous or not, I’ll go all Lima Heights.”

“Your girlfriend is safe. I’m not sure I even want a boyfriend here.”

Santana smirked. “From what I can tell, you’ve already developed a something or other for Sam.”

“I can literally say I met him two hours ago, Santana. He’s hot, but it’s way too early to even think about something like that. Plus, he’s straight and I hate crushing on straight guys, it helps nobody.”

“Wait, did he tell you that he was straight?” Santana grinned.

Kurt frowned, thinking about it. “Well, he didn’t tell me the opposite, so I just assumed.”

“Makes sense,” she replied. “Hot jock usually adds up to hetero, though I imagine a few of them are willing to reconsider to get a shot with _you_.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “I doubt it.”

“You’re hot stuff, Kurt. If you weren’t famous, people would totally still be ogling you.”

“…And I’m uncomfortable. Is it safe to leave here yet? I can feel that condom staring at me.”

Santana chuckled. “Should be. I’ll check.” Instead of carefully opening the door, Santana stepped out in plain view of anyone and shrugged. “Looks like the mob dispersed. You can come out now. If I had a dollar…”

“Girl same,” Kurt echoed, grinning. “Whoa, I’m literally coming out of the closet again. This is weird.”

The two slipped out of the closet (they made 14 jokes about it) and looked around nervously. Well, Kurt did. Santana just stood looking at her nails.

“Wait,” Kurt said abruptly, “I said I’d meet Sam outside of—.”

“Kurt, there you are!” Sam hissed as he approached them, jogging slightly to catch up with them. “I was worried. I see you met Satan.”

Santana made her “what the fuck” frown face as Kurt chuckled.

“We had a great time, actually. I can see why you recommended her.”

Sam nodded. “She’s not too bad.”

“Excuse me, I’m standing right here.”

Sam shrugged. “I know, but there’s a celebrity in our midst, Lopez. Show some respect to the higher order.”

Kurt rolled his eyes as Santana punched Sam’s arm playfully.

“Watch your mouth, Evans.”

“I got scared when you didn’t show up at the door. I thought you might have been ambushed.”

Kurt nodded. “Sorry. It was weird, like everyone was waiting to see what I’d do. It’s like I’m the shiny new toy.”

Santana groaned. “Dude, don’t go quoting Twilight on me okay. Like I’d be totally down to bone Anna Kendrick, but that shit ain’t cool.”

Sam shrugged. “The music’s good, it’s nicely shot, I don’t see the issue.”

Kurt grinned. “Well we all know that good cinematography is all you really care about, Sam. And a good lead actor, of course.” Kurt preened at himself.

“Wait until you actually win the Oscar first,” Santana crowed mockingly.

“You try competing against Jack Nicholson!” Kurt retorted in his defence.

The three chuckled in quiet bliss as a flash disrupted them.

Three heads whipped around in unison as Santana rolled her head.

“Damn Ben Israel.”

Sam groaned and stalked around the corner, dragging the moaning boy around it by the lapel of his jacket.

Kurt recoiled in mock horror. “Oh god. What _is_ it?”

Santana smirked as she slowly brought her foot up to Jacob Ben Israel’s crotch, not quite touching it. “Unless you want my shoe to squash your nads, you’ll hand over your memory card and leave us the fuck alone.”

Jacob gasped. “But this is the juiciest story I’ve had since I started here. An exclusive on how Kurt Hummel is here and being corralled by the Glee Club. I just need a quote from Rachel Berry and I can write it.”

Santana looked to Kurt. “Your first exam and it’s not multiple choice. How do you deal with this?”

Kurt appraised Jacob’s outfit. “Firstly, please get some new clothing, this horrid blend of mismatched colour tones offends my retinas. Second, I got here two hours ago, I don’t a fucking news story about me. I haven’t _done_ anything yet apart from learn about photosynthesis. At the _very_ least, wait until there’s some actual gossip to report on. The Spotlight Team didn’t get anywhere by writing about what the priests had for lunch. If I were you, I’d stay far away from me. I can break your journalistic career in about three seconds. One call to Uncle Todd and that’s pretty much a done deal. In case you’re dense, that’s Todd McCarthy with The Hollywood Reporter. He’ll do pretty much anything for me. So I suggest you get your nose out of my ass and go find something else to do with your day.”

Santana nodded, smirking, as Jacob scrunched up his face. Santana removed her foot and the boy scurried away.

“Impressive, De Niro. You might actually survive in this place after all.”

Sam stared wide-eyed at Kurt, then at Santana. Santana smirked, knowing the boy far too well. Kurt took a second to frown before forgetting about it, phone pinging.

Removing it from his pocket, Kurt rolled his eyes.

“What’s up?” Sam asked casually.

“My agent keeps sending me emails about scripts. It’s the third one this morning. I told her that I didn’t want any job offers until graduation and maybe not even then. She just isn’t listening to me.”

Santana coughed and wagged her finger, gesturing that she wanted the phone.

Kurt frowned but handed it to her anyway. A lesson that he had learned from here in the first hour of knowing her was that she knew what she was doing. In life and around McKinley High.

Santana tapped rapidly on the keyboard and smiled, handing it back to Kurt when she finished.

Kurt looked down at the sent email with a gasp. “ _Please stop sending me scripts via email, it’s very bothersome and I’m trying to get an education. Thanks, Kurt_. Okay, you didn’t write this.”

“You saw me typing.”

Kurt shook his head. “But these _can’t_ be your words. Because if they are, _damn_ you have some layers.”

Santana grinned. “Shocking, isn’t it?”

Sam clapped a hand on Santana’s shoulder. “My girl can grow up when she needs to.”

Kurt groaned as his phone buzzed again, three times. “God, does this woman not know when to…?”

Kurt froze, staring blankly at his screen.

“Kurt, what is it?”

Kurt sighed. “News just travels fast. Sorry, Sam.”

Kurt turned his phone screen.

Sam’s eyes raked over the screen, concentrating hard. “Oh my god.”

Santana grasped the phone and looked for herself.

Kurt bit his lip. “Looks like someone caught us leaving the bathroom and decided that it was something that Buzzfeed needed to know about.

Santana scoffed. “ _Kurt Hummel Leaves Bathroom With High School Guy And We’re Completely Obsessed With Them”_ Well, at least it’s not bad press.”

Kurt looked at her momentarily. “Whatever press, it’s press I don’t need. People have been sending this to me on Twitter for the past five minutes now. And more are coming in every second.”

Kurt flicked through his phone and turned off his vibration alerts. “What do I do with this? Just leave it? Tweet something?”

Sam hummed. “I’m not sure. Saying something might look like you’re indulging in the rumour, but saying nothing does the same thing. I don’t know.”

Kurt turned to Santana. He didn’t quite know when these two became his go to spirit guides, but he wasn’t sure he hated the idea. “What do you think?”

“Do what all celebrities do about shit like this…just favourite a couple of tweets that talk about it. Don’t actually _say_ anything, but don’t ignore the issue altogether either.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow as he opened the Twitter app. “That’s a really good idea. I should fire my publicist and bring you back to L.A with me in two years’ time.”

“It’s what I do.”

“You realise that now that you’ve officially been the subject of a sex scandal rumour, you’re officially a McKinley High student?” Sam smiled.

Kurt shrugged. “I guess that’s true. But I’m not sure I like you being the subject of it.”

Sam gaped. “I’m wounded, Kurt.”

“No, no, not like that. I just don’t want this to bring any negative attention to you. That’s the last thing I want, actually. Me, I’ve been dealing with it every day for years, I don’t want to suck you into that world.”

“Look, if we’re going to be friends, I’m already in that world. Photographers are going to follow you around when you’re not here and your friends are going to be there when that happens. It’ll just be something we have to get used to. I can do that, but only as long as they only photograph the right side of my face.”

“Okay, quiet down, Rachel,” Santana snapped mockingly. “But he’s right. You’re cool and we like you, but this protection crap isn’t going to fly with us.”

Kurt shrugged. “Well, okay, then. So what do we do now?”

Santana linked arms with both Kurt and Sam. The boys looked at each other.

“We charge headfirst into this rumour and make people talk.”

“Isn’t that the opposite of what Kurt wants?” Sam pointed out helpfully.

Santana chuckled. “Exactly. We can get to the place Kurt wants to get much quicker by doing this all at once. One huge rumour that everyone talks about and, after that, they’ll get bored of talking about him. Right?”

Sam frowned. “That…could actually work. So how do we do it?” Sam thought he knew, but Santana’s confirmation would help him.

Santana smirked as they turned the corner. Students were filling the corridors now, slowly, as though they knew something was going on.

“Hey, everyone!” Santana yelled down the hallway.

Kurt gaped. “Santana, what are you?”

Santana dropped Kurt’s arm and turned to Sam.

“You know what you need to do.”

Sam nodded slowly and moved past Santana, grabbing Kurt’s head and pressing their lips together. Sam backed him up against the wall and moved his hands to Kurt’s shoulder, holding him there.

Kurt squeezed his eyes shut as Sam deepened the kiss. After a second, Kurt returned the gesture, biting Sam’s lip and slipping his tongue into the blond’s mouth. Kurt’s hands moved to Sam’s hair, grasping fistfuls firmly. Sam groaned.

“Oh shit,” Santana whispered, looking around. Students were whipping out their cell phones in rapid interest, taking pictures, videos and typing hastily. Santana nodded to herself, that was what she wanted all along. Whispers filled her ears, the types of gossip that she liked to hear. The picture was right there in front of them and still they were questioning everything they thought they knew.

Kurt and Sam broke the kiss, breathing heavily, faces close to each other.

Kurt looked around at the people watching them and seeing the flashes of their phone cameras “Oh god.” He barged over to Santana.

“Kurt, what—?”

“Do you realise what you’ve just done?”


	4. The Problem

Santana and Sam looked to Kurt from afar, hours after he’d stormed off. His phone was plastered to his ear and his lips were moving at a rapid pace.

“What did we do?” Sam muttered, leaning back against the wall. He still had the feeling of Kurt’s lips lingering on his lips. It was going to be hard to shake that. Especially with that reaction. Sam had had a guilty feeling swirling in his stomach ever since the kiss broke. People had been staring and whispering at him since it’d happened. Surprisingly, some people clapped him on the back and congratulated him for bagging the most elusive guy at school. Sam was always quick to say that he hadn’t bagged anything and Kurt had only been at school for a few hours, but they didn’t listen to him. There was no point in saying anything to them, it only escalated things.

Santana shrugged. “I don’t know. It can’t be about the kiss, though, there was no way he hated that.” Santana had been the subject of various questions about Kurt’s outburst. Did she know what was going on? What had she done to upset the celebrity student? Santana ignored all of them and answered only with her trademark smirk. People knew not to push her any further so they pretty much left her alone, moving onto Sam’s recollection of things. After quickly checking Twitter, Santana realised that the kiss was everywhere. Buzzfeed now had it. If Santana had to guess, she rather thought that was what Kurt was upset about. Having the kiss go viral obviously meant something bad. But she just couldn’t think of what it might have been.

Kurt’s eyes met them from across the way, his phone in his hand. He was no longer talking on it. With a sad smile, he trudged over to them, heart on his sleeve.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

All three of them spoke in unison.

All three of them chuckled in unison.

Kurt nodded. “Okay, can I go first?”

The other two nodded.

“I’m sorry, Santana. I completely overreacted and my instinct was just to blame you for what happened, even if you didn’t know exactly what you’d done. That was my mistake and I don’t intend to make it again. And I’m sorry to you, too, Sam, even if you kissed me, the fame-hungry vultures are swirling, trying to get their tweets featured in articles and your face is everywhere. Twitter, Instagram, gossip sites. They’re all trying to dig up dirt about you. Because of me.”

Sam blinked. “I’ll go. Kurt, I shouldn’t have kissed you out of the blue like that. I didn’t check you were okay with it, it was a stupid plan to quell the longevity of the rumours pre-emptively. It didn’t work, I’m sorry. As for the gossip sites, that’s nothing I can’t handle. I’m a pretty open person, I don’t have many secrets. Don’t worry about me, honestly.”

Kurt nodded and looked to Santana.

“Okay, fine, I’ll say it again. I am sorry, Kurt. Like Sam said, it was a stupid idea to do that. I mean, it looked hot as shit but obviously I didn’t think about the repercussions of what was going on. I’m often like that, I’m very rash sometimes. I’m just more upset that I didn’t kiss you myself to make headlines.”

Kurt chuckled. “It’s okay, both of you. I…Sam, I want you to know that my little outburst had absolutely nothing to do with you. You’re actually a very proficient kisser. It was…something else. Something I knew would happen afterwards. I’m sure Buzzfeed have connected the dots by now.”

“Kurt, what’s going on?”

Kurt looked around him warily. “Look, I’m very aware that people aren’t going to be genuine to me here and I also know that the two of you _are_. So I’m going to make the early decision to trust you both with everything. And I do mean everything. I’m in the real world now, I don’t have to have any secrets from people. Especially my self-appointed best friends. Is there somewhere we could go and talk?”

Sam and Santana shared a look. “The choir room is free this period. There’s nobody in there for an hour until Glee starts.”

“And that way you can sit in on the meeting and see if you want to join or not.”

Kurt shrugged and requested that they lead the way.

Santana gave Sam an impressed nod for thinking of the idea on his feet. Sam couldn’t help but feel a little bit charmed as they walked ahead. Compliments, even silent ones, from Santana were the crown jewel of compliments.

The three assembled in the empty choir room, taking the chair on the back row. Kurt was in the middle of the two, his head back staring at the ceiling.

“Kurt, are you okay?”

Kurt inhaled deeply. “Yeah. I just needed a second to think about where to begin.”

Sam nodded. “Take your time.”

“You guys know Blaine Anderson, right?”

They both nodded their affirmation.

“Well, he and I used to date. As you probably know. The Internet thought we were the best thing ever to happen to the gay community.”

“Where are you going with this?”

Kurt sighed. “Just hear me out. Blaine and I broke up in private six months before we did publically. I made the stupid decision to stay with him for appearances. Our publicists were insistent on not getting any bad press during awards season, even if neither of us were nominated for anything. They said anything like that would hurt the film’s chances because people would be focusing on us and not the movie itself. Makes sense, right?”

Santana shrugged easily. That did make sense. She thought it was smart.

“Well it turned out that that wasn’t the publicists’ idea. It was Blaine’s.”

She suddenly thought it was a bad idea.

“I didn’t find out until way afterwards. Blaine convinced his publicist and, in turn, mine that it would be better for our careers if we were still together. That just meant that he still got to kiss me and hold me and be with me in front of the cameras. And I don’t know how well you know Blaine, but he _loves_ the spotlight. He would hijack my interviews just to talk about himself.

“So when I broke up with him, he didn’t take it well at all. He loved having someone to beat, even though my career was inclining much faster than his. He still made out like he was winning. I ended things fully and he…well, he wouldn’t leave me alone. He wouldn’t let me date other people, he would sabotage every time I tried to connect with a guy.”

Sam put a gentle hand on Kurt’s knee.

“He started to follow me places. The paparazzi caught him outside my window at night, but he paid them to bury the story. He stole things from me, personal things. He used interviews to try and make him seem like the victim who was wronged by me. He twisted stories. I was about to get a restraining order when I made the decision to move here. And now…”

Santana understood immediately.

“You think he’ll be pissed when he sees the footage of you and Sam.”

Kurt shook his head. “I _know_ he’ll be pissed. It wouldn’t surprise me terribly if he flew out here just to sabotage whatever he thinks is going on between Sam and I. I don’t want him near me. You guys don’t understand what he’s like when he doesn’t get what he wants.”

Sam chuckled. “This guy sounds like Rachel on steroids.”

Santana shook her head fondly and put a hand on Kurt’s shoulder. “You won’t have to worry about him. I don’t care how psycho he thinks he is, I assure you I’m a lot more dangerous. He even comes near you, I’ll make sure my heels get lost in his ass.”

Sam smiled. “Santana’s from what she likes to call the wrong side of the tracks.”

“I’m from Lima Heights Adjacent. We know how to do right by people.”

“I don’t want you guys in this mess. Blaine is a serious issue.”

The bell rang from above them and Kurt sighed.

“And now I have to deal with a sycophant.”

Sam shrugged. “You don’t have to stay. We weren’t forcing you or anything. If you’re going to be uncomfortable, then it doesn’t matter.”

Kurt smiled. “I was merely being melodramatic. I’m fine. Thank you guys for listening. Seriously, it means a lot to me. Now I know I did right in picking you two as my spirit guides.”

“We really didn’t do anything,” Sam pointed out.

“You listened,” Kurt corrected. “That’s more than I expected. Man, this has been one hell of a day.”

Santana nodded to the door. “And I’m afraid it’s about to get worse.”

Rachel appeared first, as she always did, and her eyes widened when she saw who was occupying Brittany’s usual seat. “Kurt! You came!”

Kurt groaned as Rachel filed in, following behind her a curly-haired boy.

“I’m very glad that you made the correct decision in coming to Glee Club today. We have to perform assignments that make us step out of our comfort zones and I think you’ll be very impressed with the song I have chosen to sing to showcase my vocal superiority in this club. Oh and this is my boyfriend I was telling you about. Kurt Hummel, meet Jesse St. James!”

Kurt’s eyes flickered to Jesse and he smiled politely. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

“Anyway, Kurt, I will say no more and leave my performance to speak for itself! You will not regret joining.”

As Rachel sat down, everybody else started to file in, a large group all arriving together. Kurt watched the dynamic unfold as a beautiful blonde girl bounced over to their trio, sitting on the other side of Santana.

“Hey, Britt, how was Calc?”

“Fun,” Brittany shrugged. “It’s getting easier as the years go by.”

“You’re too smart for them, baby. Kurt, I want to you meet Brittany Pierce, my girlfriend.”

“Not to be confused with Britney Spears,” Brittany added.

Kurt nodded, smiling. “Lovely to meet you.”

Brittany turned away from him and took out a pen, doodling on the chair below her. Kurt blinked in astonishment. Sam smirked from his other side.

“She has no idea who you are. Strange, right?”

Kurt beamed. “Refreshing, actually.”

“I’m sorry to say you won’t have that luxury with everyone else.”

Santana noticed everybody already seated and rolled her eyes. She stood up immediately. “Okay, listen up, losers. Obviously you know that big celebrity Kurt Hummel is here. Sam and I have claimed in so don’t even try it. Second of all, no photographs, no ogling, no asking him whether or not he knows Christopher Cross, yes that’s aimed at you, Mr. Schuester. Third of all, he’s not an official member of the club yet. He’s sitting in to see whether he wants to join. Lastly, respect him or you’ll be dealing with me. Got it?”

Everyone nodded at different times, registering Santana’s words.

“You’re welcome,” she nodded at Kurt.

“Yeah, thank you.”

Mr. Schuester clapped his hands and began the lesson. Sam immediately raised his hand.

“Yes, Sam?”

“I’m going to be frank here and say that I haven’t prepared anything. I know we’re all required to sing for these two meetings for this assignment, so I’d like to request that I sing next session instead.”

Mr. Schuester looked at his paper. “Thank you for your honesty, Sam. You were slated to sing first, actually. So I’ll just move you around and get on with things. That means…yes, Rachel?”

Rachel stood up and whirled around, facing the group. “I’m going to save everyone here the pressure of having to perform first in front of Kurt, so I’m going to do it. Brad, if you will.”

Brad rolled his eyes, much to Santana’s pleasure, and played the opening notes to Rachel’s song.

 _Whatever happened to my part?_  
It was exciting at the start  
Now we’re halfway through Act II   
And I’ve had nothing yet to do 

Santana tuned out until the last verse.

Mr. Schuester motioned to Brad to stop playing.

Rachel looked aghast at the interruption. “Brad, your piano playing is wonderful, but if you’re going to stop after the first verse, then I insist that you explain yourself.”

Kurt frowned at Santana. “Is she for real?”

“Unfortunately.”

Mr. Schuester coughed. “Rachel, I told Brad to stop playing.”

Rachel burst into tears. “Mr. Schuester! Why would you try to destroy my career like this?”

“Oh…my god,” Kurt whispered in disbelief.

“Don’t be melodramatic, Rachel. I stopped you because I don’t think you understood the assignment.”

Rachel’s tears were gone and she was smiling. “Of course I understand the assignment, Mr. Schuester. It was to step outside of our comfort zones. And I did. Singing a song that’s so emotionally relatable was uncomfortable for me to do, but I still did it. It’s just proof of how versatile I am.”

Rachel directed her winning smile at Kurt and winked. Kurt snorted with laughter. Sam had to cover his mouth to stifle his chuckles.

“Rachel, the song is about not having enough stage time in a musical. How is that emotionally relatable?”

“Must I remind you about _Cabaret_ last year?”

“Because I gave a solo to somebody else, you quit the Glee Club and joined the musical. You had a bunch of solos last year.”

Rachel folded her arms. “Not enough, apparently. Now if I can continue with my performance…”

“No, Rachel. I’d like you sit down and come back tomorrow with an actual song that makes you step out of your comfort zone. Singing Broadway diva ballads is your comfort zone.”

Santana gaped. She rather thought Mr. Schuester was actually doing some teaching for once because of Kurt’s presence. He obviously wanted to impress him. It wasn’t surprising, Schue was just as fame hungry as Rachel, though he was much more low-key about it than her. That being said, it wasn’t hard to be.

“Does anyone actually have a song that’s relevant to the assignment criteria?”

As Tina put up her hand, Kurt readied himself to see how good the Glee Club was.

As the girl sang, a song Kurt didn’t even recognise, he noticed how much he already preferred her voice to that of Rachel, whom he found a carbon copy of various Broadway songstresses whom he admired (and some of them he’d met). Tina’s voice wasn’t as powerful, but it had a lovely tone which Kurt found himself liking quite a lot. He got the feeling from Tina’s expressive performance that she didn’t get to do this a lot. And even knowing Rachel for a few hours, he knew that she commandeered every performance. That wouldn’t stand were he to join (and he rather thought he would). He was surprised that Santana hadn’t done anything about it yet. He made a mental note to ask her about that.

Four other Glee Club members performed in the session. As pointed out by Sam, they were Quinn, Finn, Puck and Mercedes. Kurt was more than impressed by all of them, particularly Mercedes, whose voice he thought was stellar and more than deserving of airplay on the radio and a record deal.

Finn’s voice was good, he thought, though noticeably untrained. He had a raw talent and an obvious passion for singing, though his control over his high notes left something to be desired. And since he was singing a Lorde song, Kurt wanted more restraint.

He liked Puck’s voice, he thought it was sultry and said a lot about the boy himself. He quickly realised that none of these boys were hard to look at, though Puck was up there with the best. He strummed his guitar passionately as he sang, making him a double threat. He wondered if the boy could dance. He absently hoped that he could.

Quinn’s voice was a nice break from the powerhouses he had been listening to. While the others strived for the high notes and the belts, Quinn did the exact opposite. Putting an entirely new spin on Celine Dion, the girl’s airy tone and silky smooth control over her voice was refreshing in Kurt’s eyes (or, well, ears).

After Quinn returned to her seat, Mr. Schuester congratulated them on their performances and turned to Kurt. “Did you want to audition?”

Kurt gaped. “Now?”

The teacher checked his watch. “We have five minutes if you feel like you’re ready. If not, you can do it another time.”

Kurt shrugged. “Sure. I have a few things prepared. I can use the piano, right?” Kurt stood at Mr. Schuester’s nod and went over to the piano.

Sam sucked in a breath. “Oh my god.”

Santana sighed. “What?”

“Piano players. They’re my weakness. I didn’t know that he played. I should really email Google about this.”

“Just relax, think about Rachel watching you sleep.”

Sam groaned. “Not working.”

And then Kurt began to sing.

 _Where did it go?_  
The love I once knew  
Is lost in the dark  
The light can't shine through  
  
Where did we go?  
I can't see it now  
I'm fighting the night  
To find you somehow  
  
And I miss you  
Even though you're so close  
I miss you  
Even though you're right next to me

Sam stared open-mouthed at the boy in front of him. All memories of Kurt’s movies were pushed aside. It was all about Kurt’s singing and musical gift. Because that’s precisely what it was. A gift. A voice so angelically beautiful that Sam didn’t know whether to cry or run and give Kurt a hug while he was still playing. He opted for a subtle undertaking of the former, a few tears slipping down face.

Santana noticed this but said nothing. She didn’t want to make a spectacle out of Sam’s emotional epiphany. __  
  
I already have you  
But I wanna know you again  
It's so hard to kiss you  
When it feels like I'm only a friend  
  
I can't control you  
Or what your heart will decide  
But I'll never stop trying to fall back in love with what's already mine

Rachel folded her arms angrily. Nobody was allowed to even be near her level. Kurt would want solos and he would get them, using his star power to do so. Mr. Schuester couldn’t say no to him, right? Surely she would be able to take some of the solos, like  the Nationals solo. Kurt could have Sectionals if it meant that she was going to take Nationals, live in front of the entire nation. Or maybe they could duet. She would drop Jesse in a heartbeat if it meant that Kurt would be her singing partner instead. Jesse was competent, but Kurt could make her sound so much better. Her voice would overwhelm his, yet Kurt’s light tone would provide an aural boost to hers, something that she had been looking for. Finn, Puck nor Jesse had achieved that, only Kurt had even come close. She needed to do this. __  
  
Where did it go?  
The passionate fire  
We can't find the flame  
And now we're both tired  
  
What do we do?  
When all we have left  
Is dying for life   
On its last breath  
  
And I miss you  
Even though you're so close  
I miss you  
Even though you're right next to me  
  
I already have you  
But I wanna know you again  
It's so hard to kiss you  
When it feels like I'm only a friend  
  
I can't control you  
Or what your heart will decide  
But I'll never stop trying to fall back in love with what's already mine

Kurt’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he gasped, trying to keep the rhythm of the song and not lose himself or his place. If he fumbled, it didn’t show. __  
  
If we fight through this battle and win  
We'll be stronger than who we were then  
  
I already have you  
But I wanna know you again  
It's so hard to kiss you  
When it feels like I'm only a friend  
  
I can't control you  
Or what your heart will decide  
But I'll never stop trying to fall back in love with what's already mine  
  
I miss you  
I miss you  
I miss you

Kurt stopped playing, looking out at the audience, who stood and clapped thunderously. He laughed, smiling widely as Mr. Schuester welcomed him to Glee Club. Even Rachel was applauding. He caught a glimpse of Sam and Santana, who were nodding and clapping. Sam looked tearful, which made Kurt a little confused. What was the deal there?

He decided to think about it some more later, when he was alone. He would talk to his dad and maybe some of his friends from L.A about it. They would know what to do much better than he would. He knew his own emotions perfectly, but he didn’t know much about romance or romantic feelings. He had crushes and boyfriends, but they had always been casual, aside for Blaine. Kurt shuddered and stepped away from the piano and checked his phone.

He already knew who the text was from before he opened it.

_We need to talk. Call me tonight. You know what happens if you don’t. – Blaine_

He bit his lip, struggling to keep his composure. Shaking it off momentarily, he turned to Mr. Schuester.

“Thank you for accepting me. I’ll be at rehearsal tomorrow after school.” He caught Sam and Santana’s eyes and waved. He left the room, releasing the sigh he had been holding in.

This would not end well.


	5. Where His Demons Are

Looking at himself in the mirror, Kurt dialled the number he now knew by heart, hating himself with the push of every button. He hit the call button and waited for the rings to fade into the voice he least wanted to hear right now.

“Kurt. I’ve missed you,” Blaine’s salty-sweet voice whispered down the phone. Kurt wanted to hang up immediately, but that would have only made make things worse. He needed to have this conversation with Blaine or else things would have gone very badly for him in the future. He just knew that Blaine was going to make a huge song and dance out of the phone call, telling the press that they fixed things and were back together or some shit that Kurt could not be bothered to deal with after starting school. This wasn’t what his normal life entailed.

“Hello, Blaine,” Kurt replied tonelessly, trying to keep the irritated edge out of his tone. He wasn’t an Oscar nominated actor for nothing. “How have you been?”

Kurt heard Blaine’s heavy breathing and wanted to throw up. His mind wanted to flash back to the last time he heard it, but Kurt’s conscious wasn’t having any of it.

“I’m not going to lie to you, Kurt, I’ve been better.”

Kurt didn’t want to ask, but knew that Blaine was going to tell him anyway. “What’s going on?”

And here it came.

“Don’t give me that, Kurt. You know what I’ve seen today. You _know_ what the blogs are talking about. Who the fuck is Sam Evans?”

“Blaine, this is none of your business.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Because it’s none of your business! I shouldn’t have to constantly worry about what I’m doing on the off chance that it might upset you. I’m sorry, but we’re not together anymore and we were never really friends before that. Frankly, I don’t want to be.”

Blaine sounded exasperated. “But you owe me, Kurt. I made your career what it is.”

“No. _I_ made my career what it is. And I chose to take a break for making films so I could have a shot at a normal life at high school. And I can’t do that if you’re breathing down my neck every few hours questioning my decisions. This can’t continue, Blaine.”

“I might just come and see you for myself. You’re not answering my Skype calls and I’m lucky I even got through to your phone. Clearly you’re hiding something and I need to know what it is. I’m not working at the moment, I can take some time off and see the country I was born in. Ohio sounds nice this time of the year.”

“Don’t,” Kurt warned. “Don’t you _dare_. Or this time I’ll actually file for that restraining order. I have the proof Blaine. A judge will grant it if I ask. Just stay in California and leave me alone.”

Blaine tutted down the phone. “It seems you’ve forgotten what happens when you deny me.”

Kurt paled slightly. He wanted nothing more than to just put down the phone and not think about any of this. But he had to deal with Blaine sooner or later, to prevent everything from imploding as it once had all those months ago. “You can’t scare me with that anymore, Blaine. I’m across the country and I’m starting a new life now. If you even cared about me at _all_ , you’d respect what I want and leave me _alone_.”

Blaine sighed. “I love you and that’s why I know that you can’t do this without me. How about I enrol at the school too? So you’re not alone?”

Kurt actually snorted. “That sounds like a disastrous decision. It’s clear that you’re going to persist so I’ll say this. If you even so much as think about coming here, I’ll make it so you never work again.”

“You couldn’t do that if you tried. People love me.”

“Not as much as they love _me_. You know I’m not one to toot my own horn, but I have far more influence than you in the industry, Blaine. You’re only in the entertainment headlines today because of me. And I didn’t even have to beg my brother to get me a career.” Kurt knew he was sounding far too smug to keep Blaine at the placid level he so desperately longed for, but he was done.

Done with the games, done with Blaine’s bullshit. He needed to shut this down and he most certainly could.

“Cooper did not get me my career, Kurt. Don’t be a _bitch_ , you know I earned it.”

“There’s a reason he doesn’t even speak to you anymore, Blaine. Maybe think about that before you try to demand things from people.”

“If you’re going to try and play this game with me again, you need to relearn the rules,” Blaine replied swiftly, regaining his cool. “You lost out last time, and you don’t want me to tell people about everything that happened afterwards, do you? It took you so much energy to keep it a secret, it would be a shame for your new _boyfriend_ to hear about it.”

Kurt swallowed heavily. “Fuck you, Blaine. That was entirely your fault. You know what, though? Do it. Tell everyone. I don’t care anymore.”

“You won’t be saying that when it actually comes out.”

“You were the cause, Blaine. I’m not ashamed of what happened. But if you want to be a dick about this, feel free. Let’s see who believes you.”

Blaine laughed through the phone, the sound sending a chill down Kurt’s spine even from across the country. “Okay, Kurt. Was great catching up. Bye now.”

Kurt hung up, throwing his phone across the room. “Jesus, what a day.”

Santana leaned back in her seat, putting her legs up on the chair opposite. Sam was also opposite her, picking at the salad she had prepared for him.

“Craving some cool ranch? Or is it a certain actor friend of ours that you’re craving?”

Sam threw a piece of lettuce at her.

She smiled. “You’re picking that up. Do you want to talk about Glee Club?”

Sam sighed. “Like I said, I just have a weird thing with pianists. And Kurt put so much into the performance and I just couldn’t help it. The lyrics, his playing, his voice. I know you understand.”

Santana nodded. She might have been a big bitch, but she wasn’t completely heartless. She too had felt everything that Kurt had poured into the performance. Everything about Blaine, she presumed, back in the early stages of their relationship. He hadn’t been seen with any other guys and she assumed that Blaine was the only guy Kurt had been with. “He’s damn good. He’s going to drive Rachel crazy.”

Sam chuckled. “She’s not going to know whether to suck up to him or try and destroy him.”

Santana’s eyes darkened. “She can certainly try.”

“You really like him, don’t you?”

Santana rolled her eyes. “Fine. I like him. I’m not a big fanboy like you, but I like him. More importantly, I can respect and trust him. Right off the bat. It’s been one day, don’t you already feel like he’s part of us?”

“Deep,” Sam winked.

“You know what I mean,” Santana scoffed. “He fits in with us so easily, it’s like there was a Kurt-shaped space in our lives all this time but we didn’t know it.”

Sam smiled. “I get you. He has such a presence. You know they say to never meet your idols?”

Santana nodded.

“Well I met mine and he’s better than I ever could have hoped. And I just know that people are going to try and make things difficult for him. Not on my fucking watch.”

Santana gasped. It was rare that Sam swore. It was all part of that Southern charm shit that she had to get on board with. “We’ll protect him, Sam. He thinks he’ll be protecting us, but we’ve got him. Between the two of us _and_ him, nothing can touch him.”

“Are you worried about Blaine Anderson? Because I am.”

Santana sighed. “Don’t go there, Sam. Blaine’s in LA. We don’t need to worry about him just yet. Plus, Kurt’s dad is around when we’re not. I’d like to see Blaine take on Mr. Hummel.”

“I’d love to see that too. Blaine seems like such a nice guy for the cameras, but he’s so transparent, it actually pains me a little bit.”

“He’s clueless. He doesn’t know how to get by on actual talent. He relies on a persona.”

Sam nodded. “We have to keep him away if he comes calling. I know Kurt said he’d file an injunction against him, but we can deal with Blaine personally.”

Santana rubbed her hands together, sensing that a storm was coming and that she and Sam would be there when it did.


End file.
